Replacing A/C Compressor on your Classic Aurora

[oldsauroraman1]

OK here's the R&R on the A/C Compressor for the Classic Aurora:
1. Remove the Freon from the system
2. Remove the drive belt - use a 1/2" extension to move the belt tensioner toward the front of the car to relieve the pressure on the drive belt and slip it off the power steering pulley. You don't need to completely remove the belt from the engine.
3. Raise the front of the car. Be sure to use jack stands if you are raising the car with a hydraulic jack.
4. Remove the lower panel from under the radiator/engine area under the car. These connectors are reusable. Simply pull the center section out and the connector will drop out. Keep the connectors in an old coffee can or some other container.
5. Remove the splash guard from the right front wheel well. Again, you have reusable connectors in there.
6. Disconnect the 2 electrical connectors from the compressor.
7. Remove the compressor hoses by removing the bolt that holds the hose assembly on the rear of the compressor. Be careful not to hit the oil pressure gauge/switch on the oil filter assembly AND the two crankshaft sensors - all three are within striking distance!
8.Remove the bolt holding the rear bracket of the compressor to the engine. This one is almost completely hidden to your sight. But you can feel it just over the top rear of the compressor, up against the engine block.
9. Remove the three bolts on the front of the compressor.
10. Remove the compressor.

Simply follow these steps in reverse to reinstall.

PLEASE NOTE! Be sure to add the proper amount of refrigerant oil to the compressor. IF you are replacing the accumulator also be sure to place the proper amount of oil in it as well. Directions included with your compressor will tell you how much oil to put in (4-6 oz in compressor usually). Don't be afraid to go on the heavier side.

Torque specs: Rear bolts to 15 lb. ft.; Front bolts to 89 lb. ft.; Rear mounting stud 89 lb. ft.; Rear mounting nut 18 lb. ft.

I would encourage you to replace the expansion tube. This tube is located above the engine on the passenger side. You have two black caps that cover the connectors under them. Between these two caps there is a dual O-ring joint which you need to break open using two wrenches. This expansion tube is around 5 bucks at Advance etc. and worth replacing as it has a very fine screen to collect any debris from the system. Now the removal of the tube may be really tough as these get almost welded in the line for some reason. Hopefully it will pull out easy for you. Most likely you'll try to remove this tube with needle nose pliers and if it should pull out, you're AOK. If the plastic snaps off, then you'll need a special tool for removal . . . a 3" wood screw. Yeah, that's right. Take that screw and push it right down in through that valve. This screw needs to push the little metal tube in the middle, back out. Don't worry, theres a large area in behind that will catch that tube. Turn the wood screw in a good bit and then start to wiggle it and pull. You may need to do this for several minutes until it realizes you are the boss and it must conform to your wishes!

Replace the valve and couple the lines back together.

Have your system evacuated now! That's the best way to refill/recharge your A/C system and make sure you don't have any leaks etc.

The system holds two pounds of R134A and give it all of it. Enjoy your A/C!

Aug 19, 2013 19:12:16 GMT -6 RCA1186 said:

Thought I would supplement this thread with a few pictures, I planned to take more, but it was taking me too much time haha.

EDIT: Yes....I am leaking oil, its oily under there haha. I still only go through less than quart between changes and thats only twice a year haha

My shot compressor. It was spewing smoke, thought it would catch fire, instead it just melted haha. This is the second time I had a clutch/compressor failure, one on each Aurora.




I tool that is a MUST for this job, I would have been sorry if I hadn't picked one up beforehand





Two of the front mounting holes with bolts removed (I think they're 15mm if my memory serves me right)




Here is the third mounting hole and in the foreground you can also see the clutch coil electrical connector




Old compressor




the old and the new side by side.




You will need to remove the High pressure cutoff switch and replace it on your new compressor. This requires snap ring pliers. Here is the sensor removed, a shot of the bracket where the rear mounting nut goes (13mm I believe) and in the foreground you can see where the a/c lines connect. (another 15mm bolt I believe).



You will also need to remove the bracket and mount it to the new compressor, two 10mm bolts hold it on.


I also took the time to replace the accumulator and the orifice tube while I was at it.

If doing so here are some PAG oil capacities as listed in the FSM

Accumulator : 3fl oz
Compressor: 2fl oz


EDIT!!!! I ALSO STRONGLY RECOMMEND REMOVING THE CONNECTORS TO THE OIL LEVEL SENSOR AND THE COMPRESSOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY WORK. I knew this from experience the first time this was done on my car, its very easy to pull the wires from the level senor or to accidentally unplug the crank sensors, both will be a pain to put back. Much easier to unplug a sensor and be safe.

All in all I believe I probably saved a good $600 doing it myself, and that's factoring in the tools I bought as well (vacuum pump, manifold gauges, snap ring pliers)


She's blowing 49 degrees at idle now

[aldg]

Hi oldauroraman1:

In your posting, you said, "Have your system evacuated now! That's the best way to refill/recharge your A/C system and make sure you don't have any leaks etc."

How do you get the system evacuated and what does this cost...dollars and number of man hours?

Can you tell us what the cost of your replacement A/C compressor (new or rebuilt?) and expansion tube was?

Approximately how much time did it take you to replace your A/C compressor and expansion tube?

How is your air conditioning system working now?

It sounds to me like you saved lots of money doing it yourself.

I got an estimate from a local repair shop to replace the leading compressor and related components on my 1995 Olds Aurora and they wanted about $1,500.

I look forward to your followup posting.

[oldsauroraman1]

In your posting, you said, "Have your system evacuated now! That's the best way to refill/recharge your A/C system and make sure you don't have any leaks etc."

How do you get the system evacuated and what does this cost...dollars and number of man hours?

My former employer allowed my retired GM Tech Dad to use their "Recovery System" which connects to the A/C system and applies vacuum to it - removing any leftover freon and contaminants - especially moisture. Which, will kill the efficiency of your A/C system big time. I had another Tech friend who would do the same thing for $10. Some places would charge you $100 to evacuate and re-charge the system. You'll need to shop around on this.

Can you tell us what the cost of your replacement A/C compressor (new or rebuilt?) and expansion tube was?

It cost me $450 for OEM parts, including the freon. GM Compressor (my cost) was $385, $5 for expansion tube and the rest in Freon and the Governor (taxes)

Approximately how much time did it take you to replace your A/C compressor and expansion tube?

Total time would be 5-6 hours. That's for me, not pushing it. I don't do this all the time now, but, have experience enough to help cut the time down.

How is your air conditioning system working now?

Great! No complaints whatsoever -thankfully!

It sounds to me like you saved lots of money doing it yourself.

Any time you can do it yourself, you will do just that

I got an estimate from a local repair shop to replace the leading compressor and related components on my 1995 Olds Aurora and they wanted about $1,500.

OUCH! You can do it youself much cheaper, even if you need to buy tools, they will pay for themselves.

[leoht]

More tips on this, Autozone will loan you a evacuator pump and a flush tool however there is a high core charge on this (like over 300.00 - but you get all your money back on return of the tools) To retain the warrenty on a compressor, you will be required to replace the accumaltor and the expansion tube, however I would definitley do a flush on the system if there is any sign of metal in the expansion tube. Once you have the system apart, hook the flush tool to an air compressor and shoot a little flush oil through the lines , then follow up with a blast of air until the flush oil is blown out (make sure you have a water trap on your air compressor as to not get any mostiure in the lines) . - this is messy and takes an extra 30 minutes, however the peice of mind of not having to replace the compressor again 5 minutes after completion of this job makes it well worth it. Also one of the bolts holding the compressor on is a pain, Get a cheap swivel and extension for your ratchet to help reach the bolt.

[clevelandslim]

What sizes are the bolts that need to be removed... especially the hidden one?

~Slim~

[scottydl]

3 YEAR OLD THREAD! Nobody else that posted above has been here in several months, so you likely will not get any replies from them. Look for an old(er) A/C thread by crashmedic I think... IIRC he did an A/C swap in his Classic last year and could probably give you some pointers.

[lawdog]

I recently did an A/C makeover and on the 1st gen it is very easy to replace the compressor, orifice valve, and accumulator. Maybe 3 hours for all three taking your time.

Here is what did.
I bought a new orifice valve, valve stems for the high/low side, accumulator, AC Delco Compressor, and belt. I also rented a orifice valve remover from Autozone. Free once you return it.

I allready have a vacuum puump, micron vacuum gauge, A/C gauges, freon tank, and scale.

1. Empty freon

2. Change Orifice Valve
a. Located between the high and low side fitting
b. open the line, twist and pull out old one, insert and twist in new one
c. replace o-rings, tighten back togther. 5 min job especially with the puller

3. Change compressor
a. use 1/2 extension release belt tensioner and remove belt off p/s pulley
b. jack car up
c. remove plastic underbody panel running left to right under car, pliers and plastic push pins
d. remove passenger wheelhouse panel to about the top of tire, bend out of way on top of tire, again pliers and plastic push pins
e. 3 bolts on front of compressor, the top bolt is by feel, 3/8 drive, super short extention
f. remove clutch elec connector on front of compressor, small screwdriver release side tabs
g. slide under car, remove rear high side switch on back of compressor with small screwdriver, pry release tabs
h. remove rear lines, 1 bolt, about 1 foot extension and a swivel gets you out of the way off everything, dont hit oil pressure switch, swap o-ring, cover with plastic bag to keep clean
i. remove rear bolt holding rear a/c comp braket to engine, 1 bolt use 1 foot extension will get plenty of room to rachet. Bolt faces towards rear of car
j. slide compressor out wheel well
k. swap high side switch and rear bracket on comp
l. add PAG150 oil
m. reinstall compressor, I started 3 front bolts then did all the back work, then tightened up the 3 front bolts, dont forget to replace o-rings on a/c line, reinstall belt

4. Replace Accumulator
a. while under car replacing compressor you will see bottom of accumulator infront of pass tire
b. remove lower fitting, swap o-rings, cover hose with plastic bag
c. go back to top of engine, remove fuse box cover, remove bolt holding fuse box, move out of way
d. remove fittings, remove bolts holding plastic cover down, remove accumulator
e. add PAG 150 oil, replace new accumulator and put everything back

Suck system down, recharge, and enjoy cold A/C.

Just my opinion but I have not had much luck with reman compressors. Your results may very but they all seem to be either noisy, poor output, or shed metal like crazy. I buy all my compressors new now.

[nelson480]

I know this thread is a billion years old, but all the bolts are 13 or 15 mm
And to remove those lines, you have to pull the oil filter from what i experienced, but what i did was unbolt the compressor totally (3 on the pully side, 1 that goes into the block) and move the compressor out twards the passenger side, and had a friend hold a long screwdriver thru one of the mounting holes from the compressor to the block and unbolt the lines on the back that way because its too close to the oil sender! Nuts..

[vojtazbrna]

I just did this over the weekend. These two write-ups helped me a lot, but I just wanted to link stelte's write up here since it's much more detailed:
aurorah.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=1stgen&thread=2780&page=1

[slwrthnu]

This is one old thread, but then again, these are some old cars so it works out.

My AC compressor went and the pulley is very loose and scary. I'm planning on replacing the compressor. Figured it would be a good time to replace the timing belt while I'm in there. Anyone know if I have to lock the crank pulley or anything to avoid something shifting and making the timing off?

Is this even a worry or will the timing chains allow the timing to stay on-point?

[ntrenn]

whoa!!!! We don't have timing belts, but rather chains. I think you mean change the accessory belt, and yes a good time to do that is when you already have it off for another reason.
While there, think also check the water pump drive belt and all the idler bearings. Spin each one individually and if they sing, replace them. Do that every 100,000 miles and you'll never be stranded by a busted belt due to a locked up bearing.

[sall]

^ Yessir.

[nelson480]

Timing chains were used on this engine to prove its longevity and require less maintinence cost..according to the sales brochure

[slwrthnu]

Coming from a long life of Honda's I'm use to timing belts. Thanks for the heads up.

[ntrenn]

Had a Hyundai once with a Mitusu engine with a belt. I still can't see why I should have to stop every 60,000 miles and put a new belt on. My S-10 has 299,600 miles on it and still has all the factory internals in the old 4 banger...

[sall]

Iron Duke lives on

[RCA1186]

Thought I would supplement this thread with a few pictures, I planned to take more, but it was taking me too much time haha.

EDIT: Yes....I am leaking oil, its oily under there haha. I still only go through less than quart between changes and thats only twice a year haha

My shot compressor. It was spewing smoke, thought it would catch fire, instead it just melted haha. This is the second time I had a clutch/compressor failure, one on each Aurora.




I tool that is a MUST for this job, I would have been sorry if I hadn't picked one up beforehand





Two of the front mounting holes with bolts removed (I think they're 15mm if my memory serves me right)




Here is the third mounting hole and in the foreground you can also see the clutch coil electrical connector




Old compressor




the old and the new side by side.




You will need to remove the High pressure cutoff switch and replace it on your new compressor. This requires snap ring pliers. Here is the sensor removed, a shot of the bracket where the rear mounting nut goes (13mm I believe) and in the foreground you can see where the a/c lines connect. (another 15mm bolt I believe).



You will also need to remove the bracket and mount it to the new compressor, two 10mm bolts hold it on.


I also took the time to replace the accumulator and the orifice tube while I was at it.

If doing so here are some PAG oil capacities as listed in the FSM

Accumulator : 3fl oz
Compressor: 2fl oz


EDIT!!!! I ALSO STRONGLY RECOMMEND REMOVING THE CONNECTORS TO THE OIL LEVEL SENSOR AND THE COMPRESSOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY WORK. I knew this from experience the first time this was done on my car, its very easy to pull the wires from the level senor or to accidentally unplug the crank sensors, both will be a pain to put back. Much easier to unplug a sensor and be safe.

All in all I believe I probably saved a good $600 doing it myself, and that's factoring in the tools I bought as well (vacuum pump, manifold gauges, snap ring pliers)


She's blowing 49 degrees at idle now

[sall]

Sweet! Yeah I had to unbolt my compressor to change the crankshaft positions sensors. One of the tubes was in the way. Without a universal it would be a little more difficult but not impossible to get to the bolts facing the passenger wheel well.

[RCA1186]

Those are the ones haha I was so happy I got that universal set, worth the couple bucks at harbor freight. I should mention, The a/c lines on the compressor are a bit of a pain to get off (no room for a wrench thanks to the oil filter adapter and pressure sensor), I managed to slip a regular old wrench over the bolt and used a socket extension on the end to crack it. After that it was a piece of cake.